The present invention pertains to pneumatic ball-shaped chairs and, more particularly, to a ball-shaped chair or stool having a new base adjustment for adapting the chair or stool to fit people of different sizes and heights and to a new method used to attach the pneumatic ball to the chair or stool.
There are myriad chair designs extant, many of which claim to be more efficient, more comfortable, or more therapeutic than their competition. Many chairs in the marketplace have the ability to stack one within the other, thus providing a more efficient means for storing these chairs, when not in use.
Recently, a new type of ball-shaped chair has been developed that is comfortable to individuals with special needs: individuals who work long hours at a desk, or who have back problems (e.g., herniated disks, scoliosis, etc.). People who sit upon the inflated, spherical shell, or the pneumatic ball of this chair are able to sit in comfort over an extended period of time. The inflatable, curved surface allows the anomalies of the spine to adjust and align with the xe2x80x9cfloatingxe2x80x9d, spherical support, thus providing sustained comfort and/or therapy. Such a ball-shaped chair is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,389 issued to June Ekman and Laurence A. Wilson on Nov. 25, 1997, for PNEUMATIC, BALL-SHAPED CHAIR.
The aforementioned ball-shaped chair, which has met with great acceptance in the marketplace, was primarily designed for adults. As such, the chair had a range of adjustment befitting only adult individuals.
Many young people, particularly teenagers and youngsters, have enjoyed sitting in the ball-shaped chair. Some of these young people mentioned that they would like to have a ball-shaped chair designed for their use. The chair designed for an adult did not scale down well to accommodate these young people. The height adjustment system had to be simpler and less expensive and the ball-shaped pneumatic seat had to be firmly attached to the base.
The present invention reflects the discovery that the ball-shaped chair could be used comfortably by persons of different sizes and heights by redesigning the base portion. The new base has been structured as a stacking component. Each base component nests within a similar base unit. A chair so fitted can be raised and lowered by the new, stacking bases. Use of the new base allows for a single chair size, one that comfortably fits all.
In addition, the ball-shaped component of the chair can be used in stools, whose identical base units can also be stacked to provide a height adjustment. A clamping method has been developed to keep the ball on the stool.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a ball-shaped chair or stool, comprising a base portion that is stackable. Each base component nests within an identical base component. Nesting the base components allows for adjustment of the height of the chair or stool, such that the chair can be easily raised or lowered. Most people of different heights and sizes can fit comfortably on the same ball-shaped chair or stool by adding or removing a base component from the stack of nesting base units. Thus, if a ball-shaped chair is purchased for a youngster, that youngster can use that chair into adulthood. The same chair will comfortably fit almost any person, throughout his lifetime.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved ball-shaped chair or stool.
It is another object of the invention to provide a ball-shaped chair or stool having stackable base units, whereby the chair can be raised or lowered easily to accommodate people of
It is another object of the invention to provide a clamping mechanism to secure the ball-shaped pneumatic seat to the chair or stool.